1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery holder mechanism for use in an electrical appliance, such as an IC card used as a game card, a thin-shaped desk-top electronic calculator, and a clock.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a conventional IC card. In the drawing, an IC card 1 accommodates in a package 2 a semiconductor device (not shown) incorporating an electronic part such as an IC chip. The package 2 comprises a frame 3 formed on an insulating material, such as a synthetic resin material, and a pair of metallic panels 4 which are bonded to upper and lower portions of the frame 3, respectively, and coated with an insulating material (not shown) on observe and reverse sides thereof to form covers. A battery inserting opening 5 is formed on the side of a rear portion of the package 2, and a battery holder body 6 (see FIG. 2) supporting a battery is inserted in the direction of the arrow A and is supported therein.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the battery holder body 6 which is inserted into and supported in the package 2. The battery holder body 6, which is formed of a synthetic resin material and supports a flat-type battery 10, is inserted into the inserting opening provided in the frame 3 and is retained in such a manner that a pair of retaining claws 6a provided on both sides thereof resiliently engage a pair of engaging recesses 3a provided in the frame 3, respectively. A lower projection 6b is provided in this battery holder body 6 along an inner periphery thereof to support the battery 10 from below, as shown in FIG. 3 by way of a cross section.
The card 1 into which the battery 10 is inserted is inserted into a connector (not shown) on the side of a card reader (not shown) and is used after an electrical connection is made therebetween.
However, with a conventional battery holder mechanism for use in the IC card, such as the one described above, there is a clearance in the battery holder body 6 in a vertical direction, and it is not constrained in that direction. Consequently, there has been a problem in that the battery holder 6 moves vertically and bears on the panel 4, and a load is thus applied to the panel 4. In addition, there has been another problem in that when the card 1 is dropped, the battery holder body 6 collides with the panel 4, causing damage to the battery and component parts of the card 1.